1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is generally related to materials and procedures for maintaining patient temperature.
2. Description of the Related Art
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present invention, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
A variety of medical environments are commonly maintained at temperatures well below body temperature to slow microbial growth, to counter the heat generated by medical lighting or equipment, or for various other reasons. For example, operating room temperatures of 65° F. (20° C.) and below are not uncommon. At such temperatures, it may be difficult to maintain the body temperature of the patient over time, such as over the course of a diagnostic, therapeutic, or surgical procedure.
To maintain patient temperature, a convective air warming blanket may be employed in the medical environment. Such a convective air warming blanket typically consists of two die cut sheets of material that are attached (such as by radio-frequency (RF) or ultra-sonic techniques) along their edges and at numerous internal weld locations. The internal welds limit the loft, i.e., height or thickness, of the warming blanket when inflated.
After the sheets forming the warming blanket are attached, the warming blanket may be die cut into the warming blanket's final shape. This die cut process, in which the sheets are cut simultaneously using a single die, results in their being little or no structural differentiation between the two sheets, making it difficult to separate the two sheets, particularly in contexts where gloves are worn or where personnel are occupied with other tasks. As a result, techniques for inflating the warming blanket that involve inserting a warm air blowing mechanism between the sheets may be difficult to perform, in turn making the inflation of the warming blanket a difficult process.
For example, in a common implementation, health care personnel insert the nozzle end of an air hose into an opening in the warming blanket where the sheets forming the warming blanket are not sealed together. Due to the difficulty in separating these sheets and the shape of the nozzle, it may be difficult for a single person to insert the nozzle into the warming blanket.